


you bring me to my knees

by garnetted



Series: weak [2]
Category: Steven Universe (Cartoon)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Dance, Alternate Universe - Human, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, F/F
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-11-23
Updated: 2015-12-19
Packaged: 2018-05-03 00:50:58
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 3,192
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5270360
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/garnetted/pseuds/garnetted
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Ruby and Sapphire perform their duo onstage for the first time.  Sapphire thinks she's finally found a dance routine that she can relate to.</p>
<p>a continuation of the human dance au!! for the tumblr prompt "you did what?!"</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> more dance au yeeeeeahhhhhh! i highly recommend reading part one first, "you make me weak" :^)
> 
> tbh sapphire is so #relatable at the beginning, 95% of the time i come offstage after a dance and i have no idea what happened

_“Just the thought of you leaving has me on my knees, on my knees. Lately, I’ve been feeling so weak, so set me free.”_

Ruby’s hand was in Sapphire’s. They stared into the black audience and bright lights. The song ended and the audience applauded, but Sapphire didn’t really notice. They both bowed their heads and walked offstage, still hand in hand.

You only have one first performance of every dance. 

Sapphire didn’t really remember hers with Ruby. All she remembered were Ruby’s dark eyes and strong hands and their chests rising and falling together. All she remembered was wondering if the audience felt as entranced with the choreography as she felt. 

They reached the wings and stood in the dimly lit backstage section while the next performers walked onstage. Still out of breath, Ruby said, “How did it feel?”

“I have no idea,” Sapphire answered honestly.

Ruby let out a breathy laugh. “I thought it was good. Except”—

Sapphire cut her off, wrapping her arms around her dance partner’s waist. A wave of overwhelming reality washed over her. She had never felt true emotion in a dance before this duo. Other dances hadn’t been so genuine; this was such a different feeling than the usual fabricated smiles and generic furrowed brows. 

Ruby hugged her back. Their breaths were still heavy and uneven; their skin shone with sweat; Sapphire’s ponytail stuck to her back. But this felt real. This was what she’d felt onstage. She couldn’t quite name the buzz in her stomach, but it was _something_. 

“I did it,” Sapphire whispered, her head resting on Ruby’s shoulder. “I actually performed.”

Ruby squeezed her tighter. “I saw. The emotion was so good, Saph. For both of us.”

Sapphire nodded; it was slightly awkward in their stance. But they didn't pull away.

They listened to the song of the trio that was performing onstage — a haunting song by Daughter that was beautiful but used way too often in dance competitions. Sapphire felt Ruby’s breath become more steady. 

And then she felt another person wrap large, soft arms around the both of them. Ruby flinched and Sapphire smelled a familiar floral perfume.

Rose’s familiar excited squeal came next. The three broke their hug, Ruby and Sapphire sharing a glance before turning to Rose. “You guys!” Rose whisper-screamed. “That was amazing. Sapphire — wow! You really opened up on that stage. Gorgeous.” 

Sapphire smiled proudly, but Ruby’s expression looked even prouder. “Thank you.”

“Anyways,” Rose said, composing herself. “How did it feel for you guys? First performance excitement, and all.”

Sapphire only nodded, but Ruby answered, “Pretty good — except for that part in the middle where we split apart, you know? When I go to the back corner and do the coupe turns?” Sapphire and Rose both nodded, knowing what section she was referring to. “There was a fu- a freaking earring on the stage!”

“Oh, no!” Rose gasped. Sapphire tried not to laugh. It was just an earring. 

Ruby continued, “I noticed it, and like, I didn’t want to step on it, so I did this, like, awkward step around it”— she paused to demonstrate a goofy twisted walk. 

Then Sapphire actually did laugh. “You did what?!”

“Basically that,” Ruby laughed, meanwhile Rose just covered her open mouth. “And I ended up only doing, like, half a coupe turn into the next thing.”

“Oh, Ruby,” Rose said, “I didn’t even notice.” Sapphire was still giggling silently.

Ruby grinned. “Everyone was probably watching Saph, anyways.”

Sapphire’s already warm cheeks flushed. “I’m sure it couldn’t have been that bad.”

Rose added in, “Yeah, of course. You played it off well, Ruby. I have to go find another group — I’ll see you two after awards!” She waved and walked off.

“Well, despite you tripping over an earring, I think it went pretty well,” Sapphire said as she and Ruby walked in the opposite direction, towards the dressing room that their studio had claimed. 

“Yeah,” Ruby chuckled, “everything was pretty good besides that.”

They reached the dressing room, littered with dance costumes and bobby pins and hairspray cans and sweatshirts. The only other dancer in the room was their friend Pearl, who had just arrived and was finishing up her hair for her pointe solo. “Hey, guys,” Pearl said as Ruby and Sapphire headed over to their stuff, which was right next to each other. 

“Hi!” Ruby said. Sapphire smiled.

“Your duo looked great,” Pearl said. “The musicality is just amazing.”

Ruby and Sapphire thanked her in unison. The room was quiet; Sapphire slipped off her skirt and pulled a pair of leggings on. Facing away from Ruby, she pulled off the sports bra she’d performed in and put on a regular bra. She reached into her bag and pulled out a t-shirt, but caught Ruby’s eye for the quickest second. Ruby looked away before Sapphire could even react.

Sapphire tried her best not to over-think it while she rummaged through her dance bag for her phone. Then Pearl broke the silence: “Damn it! Do either of you guys have a safety pin?”

Neither Sapphire nor Ruby had one, to which Pearl replied, “It’s okay. I’ll just go find Rose, she always has some…” Pearl glided out the door.

“And then there were two,” Ruby said.

Sapphire giggled lightly and sat down on the floor, pulling on her socks and Nikes, and joined by Ruby. “We have such a long time before awards,” Sapphire complained, checking the time on her phone.

“I know. God, what are we supposed to do until then? Watch dances? Who does that?” Ruby said, her voice dripping with sarcasm.

“Ew, dancing,” Sapphire added in an equally sarcastic tone. Ruby laughed.

“Okay, but seriously,” Ruby said, no longer joking. “Not to be sappy or anything”—

“Oh, please,” Sapphire interrupted her, smirking. “You love being sappy.”

“Okay, you got me there. But like… I’m really proud of you. For, like, performing and showing emotion and stuff.”

Sapphire smiled, feeling pride bubbling up inside her. She scooted an inch closer to Ruby. “Thanks. It helps having a partner that makes it so easy to perform. The story of the dance actually means something.”

Ruby’s expression was one of shyness and excitement rolled into one. Sapphire suddenly realized what she’d implied — the dance’s storyline was clearly a romantic one. When Ruby didn’t reply, Sapphire continued, “Like, if I’d been paired with, I dunno, Amethyst instead of you, my face would just be like this the whole time.” Sapphire stared off into the distance, allowing her vision to blur and expression to go completely blank.

Ruby laughed and Sapphire got chills, allowing a genuinely happy expression to take over. Ruby reached up and grabbed Sapphire’s long blonde ponytail, straightened and shiny, and ran her hand through it. Sapphire had to concentrate harder to speak. Her voice softened. “My favorite part is when I go like this.”

Sapphire slid her hand up the side of Ruby’s neck and rested it on her jaw. The space between them narrowed. 

“Hey, that’s when I go like this.” Ruby mimicked the position in the dance, drawing her arms around Sapphire’s waist, who inched forward.

With Sapphire on her knees and Ruby cross-legged, Sapphire was slightly taller, feeling Ruby’s curls brush against her forehead. Closer, closer, less and less space between them. Sapphire felt Ruby’s breath on her, shaky and exhilarated, just like her own. 

“Yeah,” Ruby whispered, “this is the best part.”

Sapphire smiled, silently agreeing. It was the same smile as when she and Ruby danced together. She felt Ruby’s heart beating as fast as it had been during the dance.

Ruby’s gaze flicked from Sapphire’s eyes down to her lips and Sapphire felt a surge of warmth spread through her body. Ruby whispered, “Can I”— 

She didn’t get a chance to finish her question. Sapphire kissed Ruby, _really_ kissed her, on the lips instead of the cheek or the forehead or the nose like the kisses they’d shared before. It was soft, tentative, but there was no absence of absolute adoration. Sapphire’s fingers curled over Ruby’s cheeks; Ruby shivered and pulled her closer by her waist. Sapphire tasted salt and lipstick and sweat and felt that buzz in her stomach again. _This was real._

It didn’t last long, but when they parted, Sapphire still felt the pressure on her lips. She watched Ruby’s eyes open slowly, as if not realizing that what had actually happened was reality. 

Sapphire didn’t know what to say, but she wanted to fill the silence with something other than the sounds of their shocked breaths. “I…”

Ruby’s giddy grin appeared, filling Sapphire with joy, which was evident in her eyes. Ruby whispered, “I know what we could do until awards.”


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i'm just gonna let the reader decide what happens between the end of the last chapter and awards :O
> 
> the video that they watch: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qQraeOG-3L8 
> 
> and the song is cliff's edge by hayley kiyoko: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7ZfCUM1uyvw

Ruby and Sapphire showed up a little late to awards. Sapphire’s ponytail wasn’t as neat as it had been before. Sapphire felt Ruby’s shaking hand clasped with her own. 

They slipped backstage, kneeling in the wings behind a few other dancers from their studio. They glanced at each other, and Sapphire found herself not caring whatsoever about the results of the competition. Ruby squeezed Sapphire’s hand. 

Pearl was sitting in front of them; she turned around at their presence. “There you are!” she stage-whispered. “They already announced your category — you guys got first! Here, I picked up your trophy for you.” She slid over the trophy and the small plastic bag with two pins in it. Before Sapphire could react, Pearl noticed their hands intertwined between them. Her cheeks turned bright red. “Oh — I, um. Yeah. Good job.” She tucked an imaginary strand of hair behind her ear and turned back to the stage. 

The duo partners looked at each other. “Yes!!” Ruby whisper-yelled, bursting with excitement and pride and enveloping Sapphire in a hug. “We did so good!”

“Of course we did,” Sapphire chuckled softly. 

They pulled apart; Ruby kissed Sapphire’s cheek and Sapphire squeezed Ruby’s hand. Sapphire couldn’t concentrate on the rest of the awards ceremony. She didn’t think it was a problem.

—

Soon, awards were over — they had arrived to awards later than they’d originally thought. They wove through the foyer, filled to the brim with dancers, choreographers, and their families. Ruby held their trophy and one hand and Sapphire’s hand in the other.

“So,” Ruby said, gripping their trophy tight. “You’re still coming over, right?”

Sapphire froze. “Shit. Ruby, I totally forgot.” 

Ruby’s face fell. “Oh. That’s okay,” she stuttered.

Sapphire had completely forgotten their plans for after the competition. A few days ago, Ruby had invited her to come over to her house, spend the night, hang out. Sapphire had gotten caught up in worrying about the competition. But she _really_ wanted to go. 

Sapphire pushed to get her words out as fast as she could. “I can still come, though.” Ruby perked up a little. “My parents said it was fine. I just don’t have any of my stuff with me.”  
 “That’s fine,” Ruby said quickly. “I have plenty of clothes you could borrow.”

Sapphire smiled. “Perfect.”

They entered the dressing room and Ruby grinned at her. Ruby pulled out her phone and snatched the trophy from Sapphire’s hand. “We need to selfie it out. First comp, first place!”

“Alright,” Sapphire giggled, slinging her arm around Ruby’s shoulders and leaning in. 

Ruby snapped a quick picture, with Ruby triumphantly holding their trophy and grinning at the camera and Sapphire looking at Ruby, joy evident in her eyes. Ruby set it as her phone’s background. She sent Sapphire the picture, and Sapphire found herself looking at only Ruby; she couldn’t have cared less about the trophy.

—

Sapphire hated showering anywhere but her own home, but after a long day of competition, Ruby’s small shower was perfect. She scrubbed all the hairspray and gel out of her hair and took off her stage makeup. Finally, she felt fresh.

She brushed her wet hair and didn’t feel like blow-drying it, opting to braid it instead. She pulled on the running shorts that Ruby had given her — they were baggy, so she tied the elastic tightly. She tugged on Ruby’s crewneck, a gray, long-sleeve shirt with some logo on the back. Though they were roughly the same height, Ruby’s shirt was way too big for Sapphire. Sapphire had seen her wear it before; she’d bought it purposely oversized, so it was doubly big on her. 

Sapphire tilted her head at her reflection. One shoulder of the shirt hung off to the side, exposing her bra strap. She couldn’t help but smile. Maybe it was a good thing she’d forgotten her stuff.

Feeling refreshed, she bundled up the clothes she had been wearing and went back to Ruby’s room. Upon entering, the first thing she noticed was Ruby’s attire — lying on her stomach on her bed, Ruby was wearing a black sports bra and a muscle tank top with _very_ open sleeves. Her dark skin was exposed almost down to her waist. Sapphire felt warmth rise in her cheeks; she quickly looked away, fighting a grin while she put her clothes in her bag.

Sapphire composed herself and flopped comfortably on her stomach next to Ruby, who was eating ice cream straight out of the carton and watching a video on her laptop. “What’s this?” Sapphire asked, propping her head in her hands.

“Just dance videos,” Ruby answered, her mouth full. “They’re _so good_. This is, like, all I do in my free time.”

Sapphire was already mesmerized by the dancing — it was a provocative hip-hop number with incredibly intricate choreography and dynamic musicality. “Oh, my god,” Sapphire said. “This is insane.”

“Right?!” Ruby said, offering Sapphire a spoon and the tub of ice cream. In the video, a new group of dancers came onto the floor, performing the same dance routine, while each bringing their own style to it. Ruby used the cursor to draw a heart around one of the dancers — a tall girl with incredible style wearing black cutout leggings. “I love her. I want to be her.”

“She’s amazing,” Sapphire agreed.

They watched a few more videos, marveling at the dancers and the choreography while sharing the tub of ice cream. It was almost enough to distract Sapphire from the voice in the back of her mind telling her that their shoulders were pressed together and their legs were touching and she _really_ wanted Ruby to kiss her. Their close proximity was, in a way, thrilling, though, so Sapphire focused on the dance videos.

After one particularly provocative, hard-hitting, amazing dance, Ruby flopped her head down and groaned. “I wish I could do that.”

“You can,” Sapphire laughed. “You’re so good at hip hop.”

“But not like _that_.”

“So?” Sapphire said, sitting up so she was cross-legged. “Your style is still amazing. It looks so natural when you groove.”

“That’s the whole point of a groove,” Ruby chuckled. “It just has to feel good.”

“It never feels good for me,” Sapphire pouted. “I’d rather do a million fouettes en pointe.”

“You would, miss-perfect-ballerina,” Ruby teased. When Ruby noticed the way Sapphire scrunched up her face, she stood up and said, “Here, how about I teach you.”

“Teach me how to groove?” Sapphire said. “Isn’t that the opposite of its purpose?”

“So?” Ruby said, mimicking Sapphire’s dry tone from when she had said the same thing before. Sapphire gave a dramatic eye-roll in response. “Do you want to learn how to have style or not?”

Sapphire paused for a moment. She felt like it was inevitable for her to embarrass herself in this situation — though Ruby genuinely didn’t seem to care. “Okay,” Sapphire said, to which Ruby gave a huge smile. Sapphire stood up next to Ruby. “What do I do?”  
 “One sec,” Ruby said, clearly excited. She punched some keys on her laptop. “You can’t properly groove without music.”

Sapphire allowed the long sleeves of her shirt to slip over her hands. “I can’t believe we danced all day, and now we’re dancing again,” she giggled. Ruby laughed in response.

“I know, right? Okay, here we go.” A beat began, and Sapphire found her cheeks warming up at the familiarity of the song and artist. 

Ruby stood up and began bobbing to the beat. “Go for it.”

Sapphire watched Ruby, mostly impressed and only a tiny bit jealous. It came so naturally to her; Ruby bounced in sync with the music, the perfect combination of hips and shoulders and head movements. How did she do it? It looked so natural, so fluid, and it made Sapphire’s heart speed up.

“I don’t even know where to start,” Sapphire said, laughing nervously. 

Ruby thought for a moment, then simplified her groove. “Just bounce with me. Like you’re in tap class.”

“Tap class,” Sapphire repeated, bending her knees and starting a small bounce to the beat. At least she had good rhythm. 

“Yeah!” Ruby smiled, and Sapphire found herself grinning too. “Now try to add some hips. Do, like, a figure-8 motion. Just like ballroom.”

“I feel so awkward. What am I supposed to do with my hands?” Sapphire asked, beginning to sway her hips. 

“Start with your shoulders,” Ruby suggested, demonstrating what she meant. “Then your hands can just follow.”

Sapphire tried her best to focus on taking Ruby’s advice, but it was hard to concentrate when she watched her dance. Ruby’s simple movement was so natural, perfectly in time with the beat of the music, so pure and raw. Sapphire would have been intimidated in the absence of Ruby’s wide grin. She felt a laugh bubble up inside her. 

“You’re doing it!” Ruby said.

“Am I really?” Sapphire laughed. 

Ruby nodded enthusiastically, and Sapphire didn’t detect any hint of sarcasm or judgement in Ruby’s expression. She supposed she looked less awkward than she felt. 

“Another thing you could do with your hands,” Ruby said, stepping closer and taking Sapphire’s in her own. She looked like she was about to say something more, but she stopped herself. 

Sapphire had to laugh. “This feels better,” she said. They swung their arms between them, goofy and smiling. Ruby’s palms were warm and Sapphire appreciated the contrast between her own ice-cold fingers.

Ruby adjusted their clasped hands so their fingers were interlaced; Sapphire’s hands were tiny in Ruby’s. Sapphire felt a tug in her stomach as Ruby inched her way closer, by no means subtle. She didn’t know who was the first to lean in, but their dancing stopped and they were barely inches apart. Sapphire’s eyes closed; her heartbeat sped up.

And then they were kissing again. Sapphire felt like she was floating. Ruby’s palms made their way up to her cheeks, and Sapphire’s hand rested on top of Ruby’s. Just like their dancing not thirty seconds ago, the less she thought, the more she melted, the more blissful it was. She faintly registered the song fading out. She pulled her head back not two inches and inhaled, but Ruby’s lips, chapped and tasting of chocolate ice cream, found hers again and chills ran down her back. When Sapphire laughed slightly, she felt Ruby smile and pull her closer. 

Sapphire wanted to stay there forever.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> let me know if there's any dance terms i should explain more :)


End file.
